Body construction



Oct. 12, 1943. M. F. MOORE 2,331,841 V BODY CONSTRUCTION 4 Filed Feb. 10, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENT OR. M5405, E MOORE ATTORNEY.

Oct. 12 1943. M, F, MOORE 2,331,841

BODY CONSTRUCTION Filed Feb. 10, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 V INVENTOR. 7 g 7 MEADEF M0'0RE Y ATTORNEY.

Patented Get. 12, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BODY GONSTRUCTIGN Meade F. Moore, Kenosha, Wis., assignor to Nash- Kelvinator Corporation, Kenosha, Wis, a corporation of Maryland Apniication February 10; 1941, Serial No. 378,212

1 Claim.

This invention relatesto automobile body construction and has particuiar reference to the body sill and floor structure upon which is mounted the body panels and strengthening framework.

It is an object of this invention to provide a body sill and floor pan which will be stronger and lighter than structures used heretofore.

It is another object of this invention to provide a body sill and floor pan which will serve to support the body without the use of a separate chassis frame.

It is another object of this invention to provide a body sill and floor pan which may be easily assembled with the framework of the body.

It is another object of this invention to provide novel means for bracing a body sill to obtain the required rigidity in the body.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from a consideration of the following description and claim and the attached drawings of which there are two sheets and in which Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the body sill and floor pan with the body framework attached;

Figure 2 represents a sectional view taken along a plane indicated by the line 2-2 in Figure 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 3 represents a bottom plan View of the body sill and floor pan;

Figure 4 represents a longitudinal sectional view through the floor pan, taken along a plane indicated by the line 4-4 in Figure 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 5 represents a sectional view taken along a plane indicated by the line 55 in Figure 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 6 represents a sectional view taken along a plane indicated by the line 66 in Figure 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 7 represents a sectional view taken along a plane indicated by the line l-'i in Figure 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 8 represents a sectional view taken along a plane indicated by the line 88 in Figure 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 9 represents an enlarged detailed plan view showing the connection between the body sill and floor pan and the forward end of one of the X-braces; and

Figure 10 represents a bottom plan View showing in detail the connection between the sill and rear cross brace shown in Figures 2 and 3.

The common practice in automobile construction today is to provide a separate chassis frame upon which is mounted the motor and driving connections of the automobile and from which the wheels of the automobile are sprung. The chassis frame serves to support the body which is separately constructed and is usually provided with a separate sill or sub-frame which is bolted to the chassis frame. This invention deals with body construction in which the body sill, which forms the immediate support for the framework and panels of the body is made strong enough and of such a shape as to support the motor and wheels of the automobile without a separate chassis frame, and allows the body to be lowered with respect to the wheels of the automobile since there is no chassis frame on top of which tht body sill must be secured.

In the drawings in which similar reference characters are used to designate similar parts. there is shown an automobile body framework consisting of a sill generally indicated at 20 upon which is supported a floor pan generally indicated at 22 and a body framework or truss generally indicated at 24, The construction of the body framework and its method of attachment to the floor pan and sill is more specifically-de scribed and claimed in my co-pending application filed at the same time as this application.

The sill 20 consists of an upwardly opening channel-shaped member having a bottom wall 2B and side walls 28. The side walls 28 are flanged outwardly as at 30 (see Figures 3, 5 and 6) The sill 26 is shaped so as to form side por tions 32 which converge slightly towards the front of the body and then taper sharply as at 34 to a front cross portion 35. At the back of the body the sill is tapered toward the center of the car as at 33 and bent sharply across the back end of the body as at 40. Toward the rear end of the body, the sill 2i] is bent upwardly as at 39 to form what is known as a kick up to raise the sill and body over the rear axle of the car (not shown). While the various portions of the body sill may be made up in sections and joined together, I contemplate a single continuous channel member will be bent into the outline just described, and the ends welded together as indicated at 42.

The floor pan 22 may be made as a single stamping and is secured to the top of the sill 20 by welding the edges of the pan to the flanges 30 of the sill 28 as indicated in Figure 6. The pan 22 is stamped so as to form a forward section which is curved upwardly in the middle as at 44 to provide space for the drive shaft of the automobile. The rear section of the floor pan 22 is raised as at 46 so as to fit over the kick up 39 of the sill 26 and is generally flat. A strengthening rib 48 may be stamped out of the rear section of the floor pan to increase its rigidity. A raised portion 56 extends transversely across the floor pan in its forward section and serves to form a seat support upon which the front seat of the automobile may be mounted. Along the forward edge of the floor pan 22 is provided a bent up portion 52 which connects with the toe board of the body. When the pan 22 is secured on the top of the sill 20, the sill becomes a frame of box-shaped cross section which is extremely rigid.

It will be noted from Figures 1, 2 and 3 that the floor pan 22 does not extend completelyto the front end of the sill 20, but is stopped short as at 54. This leaves an opening 56 in the front of th sill 26 within which the motor of the automobile may be mounted. The forward portion of the sill 26 is closed by a plate 58 which forms the forward portion of the sill into a box-shaped cross section.

Just forwardly of the back tapering portion 38 of the sill 20 is provided a transverse cross brace 66 which is extended between the side portions 32 of the sill. The cross member 60 has a similar cross section to the sill Hand is provided with flanges 62 which are welded to the under side of the floor pan 22 so as to form a cross member which is box-shaped in cross section. The cross member 60 may be secured to th side portion 32 of the sill by bending out the flanges 64 from the ends of the cross member and Welding these flanges to the side walls 36 of the sill (see Fi ure The sill 26 and floor pan 22 is further braced by the X-braces 66 and 68 which extend beneath the floor pan 22 from a point near the front of the floor pan, backwardly and across the sill to a point spaced forwardly of the cross member 66 and where the kick up 39 begins. As is most clearly illustrated in Figure 7, the X- braces 66 and 68 consist of upwardly opening channel bars having a bottom wall 16 and side walls 12 from the upper edges of which the flanges H are turned outwardly. The depth of the channel bars is increased toward th side of the body so that the X-brace are thinnest near the center of the car, thus providing more space for the drive shaft of the automobile. Where the braces 66 and 68 cross, the side walls 12 and flanges 14 of the brace 68 have been cut away, leaving a short strip 16 of the bottom wall which fits underneath the center of the cross brace 66.

Just enough of the cross brace 68 is cut away so that the ends of the cut away portion will abut against the side walls 12 of the cross brace 66 and may b welded thereto.

It will be noted that the cross braces 66 and 68 intersect at a point underneath the raised portion 56 of the floor pan and that the cross braces a e bent upwardly as at 18 so as to fit snugly underneath the raised portion 56. This construction further raises the center of the cross braces to provide plenty of room for the drive shaft of the automobile.

The ends of the X-braces 66 and 68 are secured to the side portions 32 of the sill 26 by bending out tabs 86 from the ends of the side wall 12 and welding these tabs to the side wall 28 of the sill 26. The flanges 14 of the X-braces 66 and 68 have been cut away as at 82 to clear flanges 36 of the sill so that the flanges l4 and 36 will be flush to form a smooth surface upon which the floor pan 22 may be secured (see Figure 9). Attention is called to the fact that the flanges 36, 64 and 14 of the sill 2!), cross brace 62 and X-braces 66 and 68 respectively, are easily secured to the floor pan 22 as by spot welding since there ar only two thicknesses of metal where these members are joined. The floor pan 2 2 not only forms the floor of the body, but acts as a skin to strengthen the sill Z2 and forms the channel section of the sill into a rigid box section. Any desirable style of body may be mounted upon the sill and floor pan, and a single body sill will serve to support different body styles, such as three and five passenger types of bodies.

While I have described my invention in some detail, I intend this description to be an example only and not as a limitation of my invention to which I make the following claim:

In an automobile body having side sill members, a pair of cross braces having upwardly opening channel-shaped cross sections, flanges turned outwardly from the upper edge of said channel-shaped cross sections, the side walls of said channel-shaped cross section being bent outwardly at the ends of said cross braces and welded to said side sills, a floor pan for said body positioned over said cross braces and welded to the flanges of said braces, said floor pan being arched upwardly over the longitudinal center thereof, and a transverse strip in said floor pan raised above the arched portion thereof and extending longitudinally over the intersection of said cross braces, said cross braces being shaped upwardly to nest within said raised strip.

MEADE F. MOORE. 

